30 THE LABRADOR PENINSULA. chap. xxii. 



war-dances which centuries before were celebrated by 

 victorious warriors around their tortured prisoners. 



The summit of the Great Boule, 700 feet above the 

 sea, and the brow of the bold peninsula on the west side 

 of the harbour, were two noted outlooks in the good 

 old Montagnais times. They are not unfrequently 

 visited now, when the Indians of the coast wish to show 

 theu^ country to tlie Nasquapees from the interior, and tell 

 them of their ancient wars with the Esquimaux. 



It has been akeady stated that in 1660 the Mon- 

 tagnais of Seven Islands sent messengers to the Jesuit 

 missionaries at Tadousac requesting them to send a 

 teacher, as they dared not bring theu- children to be 

 baptised for fear of the Mohawks. They were able to 

 hold their own against the Esquimaux, in consequence of 

 the almost exclusively maritime habits of that people, 

 who rarely ascended the rivers further than the first faUs 

 or rapids ; and they fearlessly pursued their way through 

 the interior of the country as far as the Straits of Belle 

 Isle and Hamilton Inlet, but exercising the utmost caution 

 as they approached the sea to hunt for seals. They 

 brouQ;ht with them even there on the wild Atlantic coast, 

 1,400 miles from the Iroquois country, the fear of the 

 Mohawks, and even those who now approach tlie Atlantic 

 coast of Labrador without fear of molestation from 

 the Esquimaux are startled into silence at the word 

 ' Mohawk ' or ' Iroquois.' 



The magnificent sandy beach on the east side of the 

 bay, with its fringe of beautiful but small white and 

 balsam spruce, forming the boundary of tlie forest which 

 covers the flat country in the rear, is a most attractive 



